Dams at Risk: 65-Foot Crack in Washington State Dam

A large crack has been found in the Wanapum Dam on the Columbia River which supports the utility power supply to a major cluster of data centers in central Washington state.

65-Foot Crack Found in Washington State Dam (Feb 25)

The 2-inch-wide crack was found Thursday after divers were sent into the Columbia River because engineers detected a misalignment in a spillway on Wanapum Dam near the central Washington town of Vantage, said Tom Stredwick, a spokesman for the Grant County Public Utility District.

The Wanapum Dam generates more than 1,000 megawatts of electricity for the Grant County PUD, the utility that provides electricity to major data centers operated by Microsoft, Yahoo, Dell, Sabey Data Centers and Vantage Data Centers.

On February 25, dam officials noticed an irregular bowing of the dam near a section of a spillgate pier along the mile-long structure. Divers examined the area Thursday and discovered a two-inch wide crack running horizontally, located about 75 feet below the water’s surface. It runs the entire width of the 65-foot-wide pier.

The risk of a failure of the dam is high enough that the county has initiated an emergency plan. To relieve pressure on the dam, the water level is being lowered by 20 feet.

Owen Falls Dam in Uganda Falling Apart(Feb 28)The Owen Falls dam in Jinja could cave in, if the cracks and damage to the dam are not repaired, an official of Eskom, the hydro power generation company, has said.

Huge cracks continue to develop in the walls and supporting pillars of the dam. Water continuously sips through the gaping holes, expanding the cracks and making the dam weaker by the day.

A dam on the Tokwe river in the Masvingo area of Zimbabwe is close to bursting as water from heavy rains finding its way through gaps in the uncompleted dam wall.

Construction of the Tokwe Mukorsi dam began in 1998 but stalled in 2008. The dam was due to be completed at the end of last year but the deadline has passed with construction still not finished. Pictures from the area show water gushing through breaks in the wall and a huge build up of water in the reservoir behind it. Villagers have been evacuated as quickly as possible, with around 4,000 people believed to be at risk should the dam burst.

According to the Daily News, the Zimbabwe Air Force is helping people evacuate. The Minister for Masvingo province is quoted as saying that the government is on high alert and "A helicopter from the AFZ has been airlifting some families who were marooned by the floods but we are not yet sure how many people are still marooned."

"All dams will break either during the pole shift or in the months leading up to the hour of the shift. Look at the structure of the dam! It assumes that rock holding both sides of the dam will remain in place and not move. Of course these sides will move. This is a subduction zone! There is mountain building and even where the mountains are not being pushed upward, they are moving from side to side. Some parts are more fluid than others, which are more resistant during any earthquake thrust, so there IS inevitably movement to the side. They will pull apart, slide forward or backwards, but in any case the water will find its way around the dam."

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15 villages inundated as dams collapse at Kalapara

Published : Sunday, 22 October, 2017

PATUAKHALI, Oct 21: At least two dams at Kalapara upazila collapsed inundating about 15 villages, for which around 2,000 people became stranded.The dam located at Lalua union in Kalapara upazila collapsed after two months of its construction due to unusual high tide water flow. The eight places of the flood control dam have been breached due to unusual high tide of the Ramnabadh River on Thursday night. As a result, a good number of houses and 3,000 acres of crop land went under water. The fishes of ponds and enclosures were washed away. Locals alleged that the inferior quality of construction work is behind the collapse of the dyke. The Dhulashor Dyke is also at risk as a portion of it was already damaged. The villagers doubt that the remaining portion of the dyke will be damaged soon. The high tide water flooded the Nizampur,. Yousufpur, Komorpur and Shudhirpur villages through the damaged dyke of Nizampur village under Mohipur union. The Aman paddy of 5000 acres of land went under water. The Water Development Board built the dyke at Lalua union on an urgent basis spending Tk 75 lakh in the current fiscal year to save the locals from suffering. But the dam collapsed within two months. So the Pashurbunia, Charipara, Nowapara, Gazirkhal, Munshipara, Banatipara, 11 No Hawla, Dhonjupara, Choto Pach No, Baro Pach No, and Chowdhury Para villages were flooded. The water-logged people are leading a miserable life. The farmers are afraid of losing their crops. Shila Begum of Banatipara said, "We could not sleep at night; I was sitting taking grandson on my lap."Housewife Ruma Begum said, "The tidal water washed away our burner; so we could not cook in the afternoon; my children could not eat anything, and there is no way to go anywhere. The roads also went under water."Farmer Bashir Gazi said the crops of his land went under water as the dam collapsed. His house also went under water.Farmer Abul Bashar said the fish of his enclosure was washed away. The sources concerned said, the emergency protective dyke at Mirabari point was damaged by tidal water on Thursday and Friday. Major portion of the dam adjacent to the sea has already gone under water. Six villages beside the Ramnabadh River and four villages of Mohiupur have been flooded with water. Kuakata is also at risk.Baliatoli UP Chairman ABM Humayun Kabir said a culvert has collapsed due to pressure of the tidal water at Charbaliatoli.Water Development Board Executive Engineer Mohammad Abul Khayer said the weather is very rough; necessary steps would be taken after visiting the sites. Ten villages in the upazila become inundated, and people are water-logged. Payra Port and the adjacent ghats have been asked to show the cautionary signal number 3.

The flooding comes following the second major storm to devastate the Caribbean this hurricane season

Rescue workers splash through flood waters in Puerto Rico

A failing dam in Puerto Rico endangered tens of thousands of people and left officials scrambling to conduct mass evacuations on Friday.

"This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. Buses are currently evacuating people from the area as quickly as they can," the National Weather Service (NWS) in San Juan said in a statement.

Authorities were reportedly trying to save some 70,000 people.

British man dies in hurricane as partner and children rescued

There have been 13 deaths on the island since Hurricane Maria ripped through the Caribbean, leaving the entire US territory without power for the foreseeable future. The governor said that Maria was the worst storm Puerto Rico had seen in a century.

The dam, which is located at the northern end of Lake Guajataca in northwest Puerto Rico, forced NWS to send a series of tweets urging residents to get out of the path of the water.

The agency urged people to move to higher ground. Federal reservoir data shows that the lake rose more than three feet between Tuesday and Wednesday when the category 4 storm smashed into the island.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order," the agency said in that alert.

The dam is used for drinking water and irrigation in Puerto Rico. It was built in 1929, and had a capacity of 11 billion gallons in 1999, according to the US Geological Survey.

Maria came in quick succession after Hurricane Irma made its way through the Caribbean and up into Florida just weeks ago. Irma also hit Puerto Rico with strong wind, heavy rains, and knocked out power and communications for most of the island.

The storm is now a category 3 hurricane, and is moving away from the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is expected to head northeast and east of the Bahamas over the weekend, according to forecasts.

So far, 30 people have been reported dead from the storm in the Caribbean from Maria. That includes at least 15 deaths in Dominica, where a further 20 people are missing.

After Maria hit Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump said that the tempest had "totally obliterated" the island, and promised to help rebuild Puerto Rico.

NDRF in a statement said, "The incident happened in the evening. Pimpaldoh lake has breached causing 35 people to be marooned in Parit vasti of Valunj village. Some correction in name of village and number of people marooned. It's raining since afternoon in the area."

New Delhi | Updated: September 21, 2017 7:35 am

A check dam near Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar collapsed on Wednesday evening causing inundation in Arangaon village. About 50 families were marooned in the village which is situated on Ahmednagar-Ghargaon road in Ahmednagar district. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has moved under the supervision of command Inspector Purushottam Rana.

The team is equipped with boats, deep diving equipment, life jackets, life buoys, first aid kit and other useful things.

NDRF in a statement said, “The incident happened in the evening. Pimpaldoh lake has breached causing 35 people to be marooned in Parit vasti of Valunj village. Some correction in name of village and number of people marooned. It’s raining since afternoon in the area.”

Heart-stopping moment construction workers flee in terror as thousands of gallons of muddy water thunder over Laos villages after a catastrophic dam burst

Muddy water is seen cascading past a farm before flooding on to the land

Three people who tried to escape in trucks and a tractor but get caught in the water

This is the heart-stopping moment construction workers were forced to flee for their lives after a reservoir burst in Laos.

Dramatic footage shows people running around desperately as muddy water cascades past a farm in the Thathom district of the Xaysomboun province on Monday, September 11.

After several people manage to escape on foot, two people are seen running towards their trucks so they can drive away.

Flood sweeps across village after river dam collapses in Laos

Dramatic footage shows people running around desperately as muddy water cascades past a farm in the Thathom district of the Xaysomboun province

After several people manage to escape on foot, two people are seen running towards their trucks so they can drive away

But as the water floods on to the mainland, the motorists get stuck behind a tractor and are heard beeping frantically as they try to escape

But as the water floods on to the mainland, the motorists get stuck behind a tractor and are heard beeping frantically as they try to escape.

The trucks soon get swept up in the water.

Remarkably, no one was injured during the flood but farmland and crops for seven villages were affected.

The properties in the villages were not damaged.

Thathom district Governor Somboun Sonelitthideth told Vientiane Times: 'Local officials are preparing to meet with staff from the dam construction company to discuss the possibility of compensation for the villagers.

SATKHIRA, Sept 9: Two villages in Assasuni upazila of the district were flooded after a cross dam on the Kholpetua River collapsed on Thursday night following tidal surge.Local people started to construct the dam voluntarily on Friday morning.Local Union Parishad (UP) Member Rafiqul Islam Buly said, "Some 200-metre stretch of the dam collapsed at Pratapnagar point, submerging Pratapnagar and Madarbaria villages on Thursday night. Fish of a number of enclosures was washed away by the surging water. Besides, standing crops and other establishments were also damaged."

Feni: Twelve villages in Fulgazi and Parshuram upazilas were submerged by flood waters following erosion of cross dams in five places.

The dam on the Rive Muhuri was eroded in North Daulatpur, two parts in South Daulatpur and Ghaniamor areas in Fulgazi while the dam along the Selonia River was eroded in Subar Bazar area of Parshuram upazila, leaving resident of 12 villages marooned.

However, flood water damaged standing crops seed beds and washed away fishes from the ponds.

Local people said both the dams were collapsed from 10pm to 11:30pm on Thursday.

Kohinur Alam, Executive Engineer of Water Development Board in Feni said, the Muhuri River is flowing 150 centimeter above the danger mark at 10am on Friday.

"Danger may occur at any time, we are monitoring the flood situation. The damaged dams will be renovated after recession of flood waters.